March 09 - The spring babies have sprung

[jollyjoanne]

Thought I'd start us up a post-natal thread for the new mummies of March 09 (or thereabout!)

Am working on DH. He'd love to live there too but he'd need to find the right job there !

I drink and feed. Usually only one glass but might have 2 tonight - DH and I are having a posh picnic in our living room watching eurovision and I have a little bottle of champagne to drink (yes we are that sad that we have to watch eurovision for entertainment !)

wheelybug
Yes Matthew is breastfed exclusively, he feeds a lot during the day, every 2 hours. But hey I can cope with that if I get a full nights sleep

I am however, still very tired, so maybe looking after a 3 year old and a new born is just damn hard work, even when you do gert sleep, so massive respect to those whose babes are not sleeping as well as Matthew

Re the tingling wrists thing....I meant to post earlier. I work in orthopaedics, and its sound very much like carpel tunnal syndrome. This is when the nerve in the wrist is compressed and causes pins and needles and tingling, I had it very mildly in pregnancy. I think the first line treatment is to wear a splint on your wrist, then if that does not work you can have it repaired sugically. This will involve having a local anathestic, although you could have it done under general if you wish. The surgeon makes an incision about an inch wide and a few cms deep and cuts the nerve (i think) this is then sutured up and bandaged. They will usually only do one hand at a time, as you will have no use of the hand for a few days post surgery, so they will be reluctant to do both hands together, if I remember correctly.

Its def worse in women, due to hormones and fluid retention, but can be simply repaired.

Go see your gp, and ask for a referral to a upper limb/hand specialist in the orthopaedic dept.

HTH

Thanks guys, I confess am a bit of a wuss when it comes to mum groups. As DS1 has nursery Mon to Thurs pm, it takes a lot to get out in the mornings with both boys and I get sick of explaining DS1's various issues all the time.

Maybe will try in the summer break. Til then, MN!

I know it?s 2am but am actually feeling rather chipper (hope the insomnia has hit the road, laumiere). Rhys just had a quick feed at 1.15 after dining at 9pm ? and going down at 10pm ? the unmitigated luxury of three straight hours of sleep has gone to my head. Especially as it comes on top of a full night?s sleep last night when DP took the feeds (1am, 4am and 6am) via bottle. Ahhhh?

law, best of luck with your appt and hope the lump is nothing serious.

wheelybug, I think fairy piccies are a must!

fearless, hip hip hurrah for Patrick?s smiles. What a relief!

Oh, and I definitely drink and feed. Nothing exaggerated ? just a glass of wine or cider, and I admit to having a gin and tonic this evening (light on the gin?). Mmmmm.

slick, sorry you?re feeling overwhelmed. I am so in awe of all you mums with two or more kids ? and it sounds like you?re doing a heroic job.

I?m in love with Rhys? osteopath. No, seriously, we saw him Friday and he was LOVELY. Spent over an hour with us, gave me tons of information (anyone need more good reasons to use dummies? I?ve got ?em) and hastened to reassure me that Rhys? condition is extremely mild and that he has no doubt it will resolve itself with a few sessions of physical therapy and us keeping going with different holds, lots of tummy time and auditory/visual stimulation on his weaker side. Interestingly, he also said that as long as I?m around to keep an eye on him, the more time he can spend sleeping on his stomach, with his head turned to his weak side, the better. And he was shockingly handsome to boot. lilymolly, this whole episode was prompted by Rhys? distinct preference for sleeping/looking to one side, and the resulting (very slight, thankfully) head flattening. The osteo did say that addressing these issues sooner rather than later makes a world of difference ? so if you could get a recommendation for a local cranial osteopath, I really think it would do Matthew good. And I?m trying not to be jealous of the 9 hours? sleep M. is giving you.

So feeling much better there ? makes up for the equally informative but slightly disastrous baby-wearing workshop on Thursday! My, but those things are easier with dolls than the real, heavy, SQUIRMING thing. Rhys obviously thought I?d lost my mind and was bent on a bizarre form of torture, substituting yards of fabric for waterboards and rubber hoses. That said, I have been inspired and will be getting a new sling (either a Storchenwiege or a Babylonia) and giving this a real shot.

Right - back to bed with me. 'Night, all.

Morning all!

corgi did you find that when your Osteopath worked his magic on Rhys that he went into a sort of calm gazing mode (Rhys that is - not your yummy Oseteopath).

Dd1 would just gaze serenely at her Osteopath - until her last session when she screamed the place down - supposedly that was her saying - enough, you have done your job now leave me alone!

slick - sympathies about toddler howling in the night. I think my dh unintentionally sleep trained dd1 when I was in hospital. DH is a much heavier sleeper than me and it takes a lot to wake him so I reckon dd1 had a few wee howls without someone jmnping to her immediate rescue. It has worked though as she settles herself really quickly when she wakes up in the night.

I also feel old and like my body is just giving up. I am determined to start swimming next week. But the only time I can really go is once both dd's are in bed and dh is home. And that is my precious hour of me time befrore I head off to bed - so am reluctant to replace slobbing in front of the tv with exercise !

law let us know how you get on at the docs. I have a lump on my leg too - sounds different to yours, but you have made me realise that I have to go and get it seen to.

Brighton I would go demented if I stayed in the house with the two of them. But it is equally hard being out and about trying to rein in a rampaging toddler. At the moment it is do-able as rosie still sleeps a lot- but when she becomes more awake, I think our trips out will have to become more tailored to baby needs rather than wherever i can get a nice coffee

laumiere I am a bit like that about mums groups - I was all set to go to one with Rosie but I just don't want to. I was lucky with dd1 as I had the mums from my nct class to meet up with - I think once we all admitted we were struggling at times we would meet up at least twice a week! The NCT do arrange post-natal get togethers - no-one knows each other and there is an nct person "hosting" - I know a few pepole who found that worked well and made friends that way.

wheely loving your mummy lion moment. I can get like that in the playpark with dd1 when some big kid gets in her way - but I calm myself by thinking of the AIBU posts on MN and keep calm and stop myself from growling at the big kids

Rosie is howling (probably because she woudln't burp afterher feed) - I shall go and try to expel said gas.............

Just thought I'd report back on the controlled crying/routine setting as I remember some of you were curious....

Gabriel was 12 weeks yesterday, still pretty much completely BF as he still hates bottles, and sleeps from 7.30pm to 1am (though he's managed 2 am the last 2 nights), feeds for 10 min, sleeps til 5.40 and then I get up with him, get DS1 up, feed G while DS1 has his milk, and G goes down for a nap at 8 for 1-2 hours.

The rest of the day is still a bit hit and miss as sometimes we go out and G will then sleep in the sling, but otherwise he naps from 11-12 and again 3-4. Then it's a cluster-feeding extravaganza until bedtime!

We're pretty gentle with the routine, when we decided it was time for Gabe to sleep, I'd feed him then put him in his cot, and if he cried I'd go up and pick him up (still in the dark room) then gently put him down again.

hi meep, in fact, I think the osteopath was having morphine gas pumped into the consultation room. We spent a good 30 minutes talking about the pregnancy, the delivery and Rhys' current habits before he moved on to the exam -- and of course R's lack of interest in sleep figured largely in the conversation.

That said, for that bit, Rhys was sound asleep in his car seat. And then for the next bit, which lasted another half hour, the osteo put his seat on the table, took him out, took his coat off, laid him on his back, did some adjustments, flipped him over on his stomach, did some more adjustments, flipped him back over, checked out his soft palate, put his coat back on him and put him back in the car seat... AND RHYS NEVER WOKE UP.

I asked him if he does house calls 3 to 5am...

laumiere, in awe of Gabe's routine. Will use it as Holy Grail image to get me through next six weeks!

Having said that he really confused me today by not wanting to feed all the time and lying on his playmat for a whole 20 min happily amusing himself. Very odd for him!

Could my giant baby finally stopped his growth spurt after 12 weeks? Will report back after tonight!

Slickbird, I'm more of a lurker than a poster on this thread but I have a baby and a toddler full time and had to post to say you're not alone! Come Friday evening I'm absolutely knacked and in some ways the weekend isn't much more relaxing even when there's two of us to handle the kids. I'm finding bedtimes on my own the hardest - that's when DD2 is crankiest so I often end up reading a bedtime story with a fussing/crying baby on my lap which hardly makes for a relaxing atmosphere! I'm kind of assuming it will get easier at some point, although I'm not sure when that will be!

Hey Y'all.

Lily Thanks for the advice. I am mentioning it tomorrow when I take FB to docs (his belly button is still weeping so got to get a cream for it). I think what I've got is a cross between carpal tunnel and just exhaustion and joint strain. I spoke to my MW friend who said that the hormones that affect the joints in pregnancy still take a while to settle. I also posted on this topic and quite a few ladies have responded with similar problems - particularly in the wrists, thumb joints and ankles (back, obviously but that goes with the parental territory!!) and have been told that theirs all got better in time. So I feel a bit reassured, but will mention it all anyway.

Things def seem to hit me hard on a Thursday for some reason, and then when I get a night's sleep or DH is at home to help, I feel far more human and get my sense of humour back - so it's def just tiredness and being fed up of being sore. I certainly don't feel depressed so that's good.

Anyway, FB seems to be in a routine of getting up once a night now, so long may that continue. Well, you know, apart from actually sleeping right through which would be even better!!

Fearless I'm so glad things are going better for you and little Patrick.

Meep That's the thing, DD2 seems to go through phases where she's up through the night and we are back to the point now of making sure she's ok and then ignoring the crying thereafter, although tbh I think she's getting hungry again and so need to feed her more before bed. Yet another one with a continual "Growth Spurt!'

fearless you must be feeling so much happier! It is lovely when they become little people instead of just a baby.

Rosie gave me her first "you're here, I'm happy, please play with me" smile yesterday when I picked her up from her nap. It won't be long before we get the full body wriggles and giggles when she sees us - I can't wait.

We went to the zoo yesterday (slick - it was the Fivesisters zoo in West Lothian - your dd2 would love it - there are lots of smaller animals - the giant rabbits being a particular favourite - and sooo much cheaper than Edinburgh zoo) and Rosie slept the whole time - in fact she seemed happy to sleep for most of the day and still went to bed at 7pm. I have, however, been up since 4.30am as she seems all blocked up and was doing great snorts of frustration this morning - no tears, just lying awake snorting!

Joint pain - my hip is still hurting - so maybe the hormone thing explains it. If I go for a long walk it is agony. When I was pregnant it was a sharp pain but now it is more of a dull ache.

Off to have my second cup of coffee of the morning.............

Dear Lord, Gabe slept for 8 hours last night! Ok so it was 7.30 to 3.30 and i kept waking expecting him to feed, but YAY!

Other Proud Mummy moment, as you might remember me saying, DS1 has cerebral palsy and only started walking 2 months ago. We walked all the way to nursery today! (about 1/4 of a mile). So proud of him!

laumiere yay for 8 hours - gives me hope! although DD did go down at 8pm last night (first time ever) for three hours, then up for 30 mins feeding and winding and then another 2.5 hours, so is getting better.
got her weighed today and has put on 14 ozs in 12 days - sticking to 9th centile, so guess we'll keep going as we are, just wish i could express! (Night before was horrendous, so hope last night was not a one-off!)
She is only 9 weeks, still under 10lbs and I discount the week she spent in intensive care at the beginning, so treat her like an 8 week old to cut her and me some slack.
Those of you bfing - do your LOs still feed to sleep. Am trying not to obsess like I did with DS, but concerned I might be setting up bad precedents. Any tips on settling with out feeding to sleep? She was taking dummy, but now won't take it from me - think I may need to try it for daytime naps rather than at bedtime as I think she just needs to feed in the evenings.
Slick sorry for wrists - hope GP can be helpful. But yay for FB only waking once in night
laumiere yay for DS1 walking - that's fab
corgi glad osteo is helping Rhys - DD had her second session on Friday, osteo was able to do more this time and said she worked on her quite a lot - DD has been cranky all weekend, really stiffening and just wanting to be fed and held, she seems a bit better today, so hope it was just her getting over the treatment. Was your osteo pro-dummy then, even for bf babies?
laumiere does Gabe feed to sleep for his naps, or do you have any tips on how you get him settled?
Sorry for long post - when I actually get the time, I tend to try to fit everything in! Started this post typing one-handed - DD in need of another nap, so I fed her and she fell asleep really quickly - guess this is where I need to get into habit of finding another way of settling her, but we're about to go out and do food shopping, so thought I may as well top her up before we go!

You'd never think I'd already had a baby before DD, given the amount of questions I'm asking !

lily - based on Matthews feeding every 2 hours I decided to really really feed Lara yesterday and it felt like I fed her fairly non stop between about 2pm and 10pm ... but it did the trick and she slept for 6.5 hours so I feel human again. I think part of the problem is that with breastfeeding, on a day like today - we have a busy day ferrying dd1 around so L sleeps and ends up going 4 hours (or a bit more) without a feed as she sleeps on the move. So, will now feed and feed her.

corgi - glad the osteo did some good.

laumiere - well done to ds1 - that's amazing progress. Also well done to Gabe and his sleeping.

sunshine L feeds to sleep. Am sure DD1 did too although she was ff. In fact, am sure when she was bigger we left her with the bottle or cup and she'd finish it and go tosleep. Never caused any lasting issues.

I too struggle with bedtime on my own. In fact DH annoyed me yeterday on this very matter. We have to go to a meeting on wed at dd1's new school at 7pm. I was saying to DH ho difficult the time was as his mum is coming up to babysit and it would be hard for her as I wouldn't be able to put dd1 to bed and he was saying 'oh mum'll be fine, its not a problem'. To which he was subjected to a rant about how difficult bed time is wuth 2, with L screaming all through it. He soon backed down .

fearless - am so pleased P is smiling away - what a relief for you.

meep I too still have a few issues with my hips. Fingers crossed its remaining hormones !

Also meant to say - Starshine - Lara is still probably under 10lbs and 9.5 weeks. She was weighed at 7 weeks and 6 days and was about 8lbs 8 oz. She's just above 2nd centile. DD1 was between 2nd and 9th centile at same stage but was ff.Thankfully I have a sensible HV and GP who see no cause for concern as DH and I are mini too. In fact, L is 25th centile for height and I reckon if DH was plotted he'd be 25th centile for height and 2nd for weight too. Alas I'd be about 2nd centile for height but more for weight .

wheelybug

Matthew feeds every 2 hours even if we are out and about, cos i stop whatever we are doing and wake him up to feed him

He has fed constantly today, and been awake most of the day, but is still content lying on baby gym or in moses basket.

I suppose his awake time make during the day is because he sleep so well on a night.
Last night he went to bed at 8pm, and I woke him for a feed at 4am as boob was engorged, then he slept until 8am this morning.

Those of you worrying about weightgain, and centiles, please dont. My dd was always on the 9th centile, and even now at 3 1/2 is a tiny little thing, very petite, but has massive energy and very healthy.
Some babies are just small, but try not to worry about it.

I used to lose sleep over dds weight gain, ut second time around, I am so laid back. I have not had matthew weighted since he was 3 weeks old, and I can tell he is thriving, he is growing out of baby bath, moses basket and new born size clothe, and being very active and alert during the day. Trust your instincts and say bollocks to the centile charts

lily I am with you about not worrying about actual weight - Rosie actually lost weight the last time she was weighed . The hv weighed her fully clothed with a big wet nappy one week and then a different hv weighed her naked the next .

Now even with that explanation, if it had been dd1 I would have freaked and stressed and probably cried. With rosie I am just biding my time until tomorrow to get her weighed again (naked) just to check!

Agreed re baby weight - I don't worry I suspect mainly because with dd1 being between the 2nd and 9th centile was rather better than the

Hey Y'all.

Well saw the doc today for FB's tummy button and going to try a cream first and if that doesn't work, anti b's. Asked him if he thought I had carpal tunnel and after describing what I had (joint pain notwithstanding) he thought it was ulnaitis (sp?) which is a similar thing but where the nerve is pinched in the funny bone area. That actually makes sense as when I had my massage a couple of weeks ago and she massaged the left elbow area, it was like the funny bone was constantly being 'pranged'. Anyway, he said it's very common esp with holding bambinos and feeding them and suggested ibuprofen for 2 weeks. If that doesn't work, then phyiso. If that doesn't work then a wee op, but hopefully it won't come to that. Still, I guess if I'm on the anti-inflamms it'll help with the joint pain! Oh, meant to say, those with the SPD/hip pain, it can def take a few months to go, although, mine has cleared a lot sooner this time round, but I remember with DD2 having residual fanny bone pain for a good few months when walking. Not to say yours will take so long, just mean that it isn't unusual.

Well, I spoke too soon about FB waking only once. Last night it was twice and with DH snoring I ended up with 3 hours sleep. Bah.

Meep I can't believe the HV weighed Rosie (or 'Loshie'!) with her clothes on! WTF? I've never known one to be weighed like that!
I agree tho, the charts aren't the be all and end all. Starshine That still sounds like brilliant weight gain. My best friend had a dinky baby and then worried for at least the first year of her life about how little she fed/ate and she remained on the low side on the charts, but she is absolutely fine, still petit, completely beautiful, and er...not to be messed with!

Laumiere That is fantastic news about your wee boy! As Meep said, that is amazing progress as it wasn't that long that he walked from one room to the other was it?

Sunshine I, too, wouldn't worry about feeding to sleep. I think all of mine have done it and it never caused any probs, esp when they are still this wee. We just tried putting FB down when he was still awake and he is able to do both but they are all different.

Meep Am off to check out this Fivesisters Zoo, not heard of it and could be ideal. DD1 is off school this week til Thursday so looking for stuff to do. OMG, did you see the torrential rain today!!? (Well it was in Livingston anyway)

Starshine Gabe feeds to dozy (where they're not quite asleep)then I put him down in his cot in a darkened room. He usually makes a few token cries, then settles. I usually change his nappy and put him in his gro-bag when he wakes for his am feed (last week was 12 midnight, this week had been 2 or 3 am). He does always sleep on his front though, don't know if that makes a difference as he doesn't wake himself startling (DS1 was a front sleeper too).

meep it was almost exactly 2 months ago that he started walking at all! We are so, so proud of him!

Someday I?m going to be able to post about Rhys? routine, I just know it. But for the mo, we?re still lurching from day to day with no real pattern emerging (except for Grumpy Baby Time from 6 to 10pm, alas).

laumiere, hurrah for DS1!

starshine, yes, the osteo is all for dummies, even for BFing babies. Among the reasons: it helps satisfy the strong sucking instinct and helps mum not become the ambulatory soother; because the dummy is far more likely to be carried ?straight? in the mouth, it is less likely to lead to future dental/orthodontic issues than thumbsucking; sucking generates saliva, the chemicals in which and the swallowing of which helps combat reflux; the pulsating upward pressure on the soft palate leads to outward pressure on the four fontanelles on the skull which, in a case like Rhys?, helps combat plagiocephaly (flat-headedness).

Rhys definitely feeds to sleep. I, too, have been worried about setting bad precedents, but I?m trying to just say to h*ll with worries until 3 months!

Am deeply envious of all who have to wake their babies to feed. Rhys is gifted when it comes to waking himself up ? to feed, to wail, to stare accusingly at me or whomever is holding him, to commune with the picture frames on the living room wall (I?m convinced he?s channelling alien messages through them ? it?s a sad, sad thing when mummy is a distant second best to a picture frame).

Never heard of ulnaitis, slick, but sounds like it could clear itself up fairly quickly ? fingers crossed for you.

Let's see - Rhys fed at 10pm (fussed so much at the breast that we had to finish him off with a bottle I pumped last night) - so I'll lay odds he's up again at midnight. Grump. Off for a quick half hour's nap, then.

I have a bottle fed baby that feed to sleep too! There are times I can put her down awake and she'll nod off- but normally she needs to be totally satiated with milk and likes to fall asleep with the teat in her mouth. Then it is a gentle dance to manouvre her onto my shoulder and hope she'll burp before popping her in her basket.

Bad day yesterday. Rosie just wouldn't nap - not even in the car ! I have one of those mirrors so I can see her when I am driving and she she was the angriest baby ever.

So any semblance of a routine went out the window. Fed her to sleep at 9.30pm and she slept until 4am. But for some reason I am soooo tired. Instead of just starting the day early I tok her back to bed where she snorted for ages. I finally nodded off and she woke me up at 5.45am - ugh - I feel worse than I did at 4am.

But she obviously likes to start her day early - she is gurgling in her bouncy chair atthe moment and seems quite happy with herself!